Songfacts®:

• This song draws inspiration from the Greek myth of Atlas, who according to legend was condemned by Zeus for his part in the war of the Titans to bear the heavens on his shoulders. The lyrics offer a reminder that like Atlas, in time of strife we will hold each other up and stand tall together.
• "Atlas Falls" dates back to the sessions for 2012's Amaryllis. The song never made it onto the album, but in March 2020 the band retrieved it from their vault and made it available to download with the purchase of a T-shirt to raise money to support the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
• There was an enthusiastic response to the song, and its reassuring message of lifting each other up when things get tough spread further when "Atlas Falls" was officially released as a single on May 22, 2020.
• The song became Shinedown's 16th #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart, more than any other artist in the survey's history. The band had previously tied with Three Days Grace for the most Mainstream Rock chart-toppers, but the ascension of "Atlas Falls" gave Shinedown sole possession.
• Other songs that reference the Greek mythological figure include:
  
  "Atlas" by Coldplay ("Carry your world. I'll carry your world").
  
  "Achilles Last Stand" by Led Zeppelin ("The mighty arms of Atlas hold the heavens from the Earth").
  
  "Atlas, Rise!" by Metallica ("How does it feel on your own? Bound by the world all alone. Crushed under heavy skies. Atlas, rise!").